AKC program
AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy in Gloucester: 6 weeks, 12 sessions
S.T.A.R. stands for Socialization, Training, Activity and Responsibility, the four things the AKC asks of a puppy and its owner. It is a sensible first goal for a Cape Ann puppy: a structured course with a clear finish line, and a natural step toward the Canine Good Citizen title later.
Who it fits
Puppies from 8 weeks to 6 months who are ready for a goal
The age band is wider than Tiny Tails, so this is where a slightly older puppy lands: the 5-month-old Lab who missed puppy school, the 4-month-old rescue from Cape Ann Animal Aid, or the Tiny Tails graduate whose owner wants a next chapter with a certificate at the end. Puppies must be under 6 months at the start; past that, Canine Citizen Academy takes the same ideas into adolescence.
It suits owners who like a syllabus. The AKC publishes what a S.T.A.R. Puppy should be able to do, and the course works toward that list rather than toward vague good behavior. It is not the right fit for a puppy who is already showing fear or reactivity; those pups do better in Brave & Balanced first, where the pace is set by the puppy rather than by a test.
- Puppies 8 weeks to 6 months at enrollment
- Tiny Tails graduates who want a structured next step
- Owners who want a published standard to work toward
- Not for fearful or reactive pups yet: Brave & Balanced comes first
The six weeks
Twelve sessions that cover the AKC's socialization, training, activity and responsibility
Two sessions a week for six weeks. The training side covers the puppy skills the AKC looks for: allowing a stranger to pet the puppy, tolerating grooming and handling, walking on a leash without dragging, sitting and lying down on cue, staying for a few seconds, and coming when called across a short distance. The socialization side is structured exposure to people, dogs, surfaces and sounds, with Gabby watching for the first sign of stress.
Activity and responsibility fall to you, and the course is honest about it. The AKC's responsibility pledge asks owners to commit to a puppy's health, safety and daily exercise, and to clean up after them. On Cape Ann that means a current city license, up-to-date vaccinations and knowing which beach you can be on: at the time of writing, Gloucester's beaches take dogs from October 1 to April 30, with Good Harbor on even-numbered days and Wingaersheek on odd, and Good Harbor closing to dogs from April 1 for the piping plovers.
The test items and the exact pledge wording are the AKC's, and they change over time, so check the AKC's S.T.A.R. Puppy page for the current list before you count on any one item. Ask us how the test at the end of the course is administered.
Cost and enrolling
From $94 a session; the assessment sets the plan
Dogtown training starts from $94 per session, and the S.T.A.R. Puppy course is a fixed 6 weeks and 12 sessions, so the shape is known before you start. The exact investment is confirmed after a short assessment with Gabby, who checks that the age, temperament and goal line up. If she thinks your puppy needs Tiny Tails or Brave & Balanced first, she will tell you plainly and explain why.
To enroll, use the contact form and mention AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy and your puppy's date of birth. Replies go out within one hour on business days. Bring vaccination records to the first session. If you also want your puppy in daycare or Dogtown Academy alongside the course, book the free evaluation for a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM; many owners pair the two, since every Academy day includes a training session with our trainer.
- 01
Contact form: name the S.T.A.R. Puppy program and give your puppy's date of birth
- 02
A reply within one hour on business days, then a short assessment with Gabby
- 03
Twelve sessions over six weeks, two a week
- 04
Owner homework between sessions, including the AKC responsibility items
- 05
The end-of-course test, arranged with us, and the next step if you want one
| Program | Age | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny Tails Puppy School | 8 to 16 weeks | 4, 6 or 8 weeks (8, 12 or 16 sessions) |
| AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy | 8 weeks to 6 months | 6 weeks (12 sessions) |
| Bright Beginnings | 4 months and up | 4, 6 or 8 weeks (8, 12 or 16 sessions) |
Why here
A trainer who reads puppies, and a building full of safe distractions
Gabriella Pope, Dogtown's Director of Training & Canine Behaviorist, leads the course. Her background is a B.S. in Biochemistry and more than a decade with behaviorally complex dogs, plus years fostering through Cape Ann Animal Aid. That matters in a puppy course because the hard part of S.T.A.R. Puppy is not teaching sit; it is noticing the pup who is quietly overwhelmed and adjusting before it becomes a problem.
The AKC items ask a puppy to cope with strangers, handling, other dogs and noise. Dogtown has all of them on tap and under control: a grooming studio with dryers running, matched playgroups of 7 to 10 dogs on the turf, staff who can play the friendly stranger, and 10,000 square feet of different floors to walk on. Practising in a real, busy building beats a quiet room, and it carries over to the sidewalk on Eastern Ave.
- Fear- and force-free, positive reinforcement throughout
- A behaviorist watching body language, not only performance
- Real strangers, dogs and sounds available on site
- Every session ends with something to practise at home
Getting here
Windows, the Pup Van and where a S.T.A.R. puppy practises on Cape Ann
We are at 210 Eastern Ave, Gloucester, open weekdays 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Saturday 8 AM to 6 PM. If your puppy also attends daycare or the Academy, the weekday drop-off windows are 6:30 to 9:30 AM, 12 to 1 PM and 4 to 6:30 PM, and the Pup Van runs for $10 each way in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea.
Homework needs places. The Gloucester Dog Park at Stage Fort Park, 65 Hough Ave, is a fenced 2-acre off-leash park with separate small-dog and large-dog areas, useful for watching your puppy near other dogs from outside the fence before going in. Ravenswood Park in West Gloucester welcomes dogs on its trails for leash practice with real distractions. And the Rockport line teaches patience: the MBTA allows leashed dogs on the Commuter Rail only off-peak, at staff discretion, never on seats, and not between 7 and 10 AM or 4 and 7 PM, so a puppy who can sit quietly on a platform has a genuinely useful skill.
At Dogtown
Training that continues through the week
Pair the S.T.A.R. Puppy course with Dogtown Academy days, where every day includes a session with our trainer.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
What does AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy stand for?
Is my puppy too old for S.T.A.R. Puppy at 5 months?
Do I need the daycare evaluation for a training course?
What does the S.T.A.R. Puppy course cost?
What comes after S.T.A.R. Puppy?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Sources
Rules and dates change. We re-check every beach, licensing and ordinance page each spring and fall; the source above is the current word.
Keep reading
Next step
Give your puppy a first title.
Tell us your puppy's date of birth on the contact form. We reply within one hour on business days and set up a short assessment with Gabby before the six weeks begin.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
